


running through the night

by capsize (copenhagenborn)



Category: Hockey RPF, Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: 2018-2019 Season, 2019-2020 Season, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Misunderstandings, Slow Burn, Werewolves, bud as a term of affection, ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-06-30 06:53:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15746559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/copenhagenborn/pseuds/capsize
Summary: “JT? What do you want me to do with your dog? I don’t think he’s allowed on the ice,” Auston snorts and hands over the pup to a confused Johnny who only just manages to cradle him in his gloves. The dog lets out a small whine, wiggling a bit until he pulls him to his chest instead of letting him dangle freely.“Um,” Johnny stalls, squeezing the dog in warning as he starts to bite down on his glove.“Oh, Babs is a dog person, for sure. I’m sure he can say on the bench during practice,” Zach chimes in. He’s grinning and Auston isn’t sure he gets the joke. The dog barks though, happy as ever as he wiggles to get down.alternatively, 40% of the toronto maple leafs are werewolves.Auston has no idea.





	running through the night

 

Auston didn’t plan on coming in today.

They’re still in the preseason and the first couple of practices have always been more of a choice than anything else – an offer for the new guys to come in and get settled before it really counts. And normally Auston would be the first one there, ready to shake hands and make lunch dates, but he’s already been in contact with everyone coming up from the Marlies and the few add-ons Kyle had gotten through the off-season.

He and John Tavares are already familiar with each other, if not by common decency then because of stern words from Dubas that had suggested they made friends sooner rather than later if Auston wanted an A on his sweater this season.

So Auston had planned on staying home and just streaming whatever he hadn’t already watched on Netflix before the season would consume his time.

But then Mitch had texted a range of sad emojis followed by a picture of him and Willy frowning with the words _hashtag betrayal._ And Auston’s never really learnt how to say no to Mitch.

The training facility is never quiet on a practice day, filled with personal walking through the hallways looking for that one player who always seem to escape their sight; players excited to be back after a long weekend or just pumped for the season. But as Auston steps into the hallway the sound level is just excessive, yelling and laughter coming from the locker mixed with something that sounds mistakenly like barking, only encouraged by their excited yelps.

He walks into the room and watches the room fall silent, all eight of them looking at him with panicked eyes as the door shuts behind him.

“Hey guys, what’s up?” Auston says carefully, putting down his bag by his stall before turning to look around the room just as a loud “ _Shit!_ ” is heard from the showers followed by a loud thump. “Are you alright, man?” Auston calls out and takes a step towards whoever fell when no one else seems to be reacting.

“I’m,” Brownie yells back, clearing his throat once before coming into the room dressed in nothing but a towel. He looks a bit flushed, pink cheeks clashing horribly with his red hair, but no worse for wear as he walks over to the goalies to pick up a lump of clothes, “Just slipped on the tiles. No worries, buddy.”

Auston frowns as he turns toward Zach for some back up when he notices the puppy in John’s lap, wiggling and whining as it tries to escape his arms. “Hi bud,” Auston says softly, crouching down next to the bench to scratch the pup behind its ears, “You’re a pretty boy, aren’t ya?” The dog barks once, happily sticking out its tongue. “You brought your dog, Johnny?”

He sits down on the floor when John leans over to put the pup down. It runs on lanky legs onto Auston’s lap and uses dull claws to try and climb his chest. It’s not much bigger than a full-grown house cat, grey and black bits mixed in with white fur and piercing blue eyes. It’s heavier than the fluff makes it look like, hard muscle underneath the fur and strength in its legs as it tries to jump further up on him.

John clears his throat, a bit of colour in his cheeks as he looks around the room, but no one seems to want to pick up whatever he’s putting down. “Yeah, it’s uh. I had a sitter back on the Island but haven’t gotten around to find one here. He’s bad at being alone, you know.”

Auston nods despite absolutely not knowing. “He’s cute. Husky?” He puts the pup on its back without any struggles and pets down its soft underbelly.

“Kugsha, actually.” Naz pipes up with a smirk, “They’re supposed to be a bit more intelligent, but I don’t know about this one.”

The dog barks but stays put in Auston’s arms, only reaching out to chew on his finger when it gets too close to his teeth. “Never heard of that one before,” Auston hums absently, wiggling his finger to feel the teeth tug at his skin. It’s doesn’t quite hurt, more than a sensation than anything, but the pup seems delighted to have something to chew on.

At some point, Auston starts to notice people getting ready, so he walks over to the corner where Freddie is talking quietly with Mac. He puts down the dog and takes the place Mac leaves for him as he gets up, “I’ll see you guys on the ice. Fellas, cub.” Mac grins briefly to the dog who’s tucking his tail and dragging his belly on the floor until he’s touching Freddie’s skate and then jumping back while letting out a loud bark as he attacks Fred’s laces with vigour.

“Oh, knock it off, mutt.” Freddie says with a roll of his eyes, but he leans down to scratch behind his ears. “Isn’t he just delightful?” He says drily, tugging on his pads while trying to avoid the pup running through his legs.

“You met him before? I didn’t know you and Johnny hung out.” Auston comments, pulling the dog back into his lap when Freddie stands up.

“Hmm? Oh, John showed us some videos before you got here,” Freddie says, picking up his blocker and leaving the room with a quick smile. The others are starting to finish up too, so Auston jogs a bit to catch up with John and Zach who have their heads bent together in full gear.

“JT? What do you want me to do with your dog? I don’t think he’s allowed on the ice,” Auston snorts and hands over the pup to a confused Johnny who only just manages to cradle him in his gloves. The dog lets out a small whine, wiggling a bit until he pulls him to his chest instead of letting him dangle freely.

“Um,” Johnny stalls, squeezing the dog in warning as he starts to bite down on his glove.

“Oh, Babs is a dog person, for sure. I’m sure he can say on the bench during practice,” Zach chimes in. He’s grinning and Auston isn’t sure he gets the joke. The dog barks though, happy as ever as he wiggles to get down.

“Stay still, please. I’m not letting you down so you can cut yourself on a skate,” John mutters softly, turning away from the pair to move towards the rink, still talking quietly to the dog, “It’s your fault you’re in this mess, anyway.”

“He’s serous about this dog business, eh?” Auston jokes when John is out of hearing range. He’s just finishing up putting his gear on when Zach shrugs.

“He’s a good dog, needs a bit of a stern hand sometimes, but he’s great. His name is Mouse by the way.”

Auston doesn’t have time to comment on the ironic name because as he steps out onto the ice, he sees the small dog tucked inside Babs’ arms, pink tongue licking away at his chin and white fur scattered across his blue practice uniform. Babs grunts but there’s a smile on his face as he says, “That’s enough, boy. Keep it up and you won’t get on the ice.”

Mouse whines but settles down in coach’s arms, slumping down until he’s just fuzzed fur lying in his arms.

Auston skates up until he’s flanking Willy who’s skating circles around the face-off dot. “Hey man, have you seen Mitch anywhere? I saw you drove in together.”

Willy snorts, stopping himself as he turns to look where Babs is trying to put the dog on a nest of Gatorade towels on the bench. But Mouse doesn’t seem to want to listen and instead tries to sneak onto the ice whenever someone goes back for a new stick. “How can you not see him?”

Auston frowns as he skates another lap around the ice just in case he missed Mitch tucked away between Mo and Gards. But there’s no sign of him anywhere as they gather around for the first drill.

 

Mitch doesn’t turn up at any point during practice, and when Johnny ducks out of lunch with the excuse that Mouse has to be fed, Auston doesn’t feel up to doing much either.

Mitchy is back the next day though, eager to practice but sad to have missed out on the puppy cuddles. Auston also learns that Mouse is a sort of part time dog, only with John at certain days before being left with his parents.

“So, where did you go yesterday? I thought we were going for lunch after.” Auston chirps, but even he knows it’s weak as they walk down the beach. It’s one of the few sunny days left in Toronto before the weather turns to shit, and Mitch didn’t want to sit around when practice was done early enough to actually make something of the day.

“What are we doing, Matty? Like literally right now?” Mitchy snorts, bumping their shoulders together as he takes another mouthful of his food. “And it didn’t sound like you missed me that much. Getting a dog soon, eh?”

Auston rolls his eyes but allows Mitch to bully him onto a bench away from the rest of the visitors, “You know I would, but we’re not home enough to train a puppy. It’s not like I can just leave it with my mom when she comes by once a week.”

“Hey!” Mitch splutters, “Don’t even front. Mama Matthews moved to fucking Switzerland for you and then stayed with you as a rookie. Don’t come at me, bud.”

Auston laughs, “Like Bonnie wouldn’t have done the same for you. And like, you moved to London so you wouldn’t have to live with billets, so we’re equal.”

“Yeah, but at least mine had a reason other than being protective.”

“Like what?” Auston frowns, chewing his noodles as he watches Mitch pause.

“Oh, um. You know like, because they-“ Mitch chokes out, awkward and struggling as he takes a too big bite before swallowing in a way that looks painful, “obviously because they love me.”

Auston snorts, “What, mine doesn’t?”

He knows Mitch is drowning, looking flushed and stuttering too much as he looks for something, _anything_ that might help him through the conversation; and Auston is fucking dying for it.

“Shut up, okay? You’re just. Fuck you, Matthews, see if I ever invite you for lunch again.”

“Weak, Marns. I fucking paid.”

“Shut up!”

 

It’s not that Auston forgets about the oddity of everything, but the season starts to pick up and suddenly none of them have any brain cells left for things that aren’t hockey, practice or eating.

The night of their first game in Arizona, Auston opts out of going home in favour of just chilling in their hotel room, but Brownie hasn’t been back since dinner and curfew is right around the corner.

“Hey Mitchy, have you seen Br- oh,” Auston pushes the door open to the room Mitch and Zach are sharing to find the former sitting on a bed with a dog looking very much like Mouse in his lap while Connor’s on the other bed. All three of them look up when he comes in, falling silent as they notice him. “There you are Brownie, I didn’t think you guys were back yet.”

“Matty, hello.” Mitch says, keeping a hand on Mouse’s back as he dully wags his tail.

Mouse is much calmer than the last time Auston saw him. There’s no wiggling to get on the floor and say hello, no whining when Mitch lifts him by the scruff and holds him out to Auston for a pet. “Wanna say hi to Zee, Aus?”

“I thought his name was Mouse,” Auston frowns but accepts the pup into his arms, cradling him so his head is leaning on his shoulder, paws wrapped around his neck.

Mitch squawks indignantly as Brownie lets out a sharp laugh, even Zee seems to exhale quicker as Mitch splutters, “What, no. He’s like, much older and bigger. And Mouse is like, elegant and lean? Zee is just big and fat.”

Zee wiggles at that, throwing his head back to growl at Mitch who glares back. And Auston kind of sees Mitchy’s point now. The dog is bigger than last time, still just as muscular as Mouse, but there is definitely some more padding around his shoulders and legs as well as length to his legs. Auston puts him back down on the bed and watches as he trots over to Mitch, stepping carelessly until he’s lying down on Mitch who lets out a low whine of, “Fuck you,”.

“So where did you get him from? Another one of Johnny’s mutts that can’t stay home by itself?” Auston jokes, sitting down on the bed Brownie’s in.

“No, ah. Actually, he’s Dylan’s.” Brownie supplies with a smile. He reaches around for his phone before handling it over to Auston with a picture of Dylan and Zee who looks to be just a bit younger than now, around Mouse’s age.

“Again with the breed, though.” Auston grins, handing it back as Mitch smiles back at him, “How come you brought him to the hotel? Wouldn’t it be easier to just meet up at his house?”

“Nah man, Crouser is like mad allergic to dogs. He would _die_.” Mitchy snorts, cursing loudly as Zee bites at his wrist, “Stop that. Do you want to sleep in the bathtub tonight? Good luck getting out without opposable thumbs.”

Brownie lets out a sharp laugh, teeth clench harshly as he leans forward to look at Mitchy, “I think uh, Mitchy. Don’t you mean Crouse is allergic to _you_? Which is why we’re not there?” He adds very pointedly, looking from Mitch to Zee who’s still sinking his teeth into his wrist.

“Shit, yeah sure.” Mitch hisses, not quite shoving Zee off when his teeth leave Mitchy’s skin, but the dog still ends up on the foot of the bed, “I never even liked Crouser. Worm-breath, you know.”

Auston frowns but doesn’t comment. “We should really get, like going soon, Brownie.”

“Oh, you’re right. I’ll be right behind you, Matts.” Brownie smiles, getting off from the bed to go into the bathroom, leaving him with Mitch and the dog who still hasn’t moved from his perch on one of the pillows.

“You know when Zach is coming back? Or like, where he went?” Auston asks, crouching down to place one last kiss between Zee’s ears. His fur is a bit coarser than Mouse’s and his entire muzzle is pristinely white, not spotty like Mouse’s had been.

“Uhm,” Mitch says, clearing his throat painfully. “I think he might have gone to hang out with Johnny, something about liney-bonding?”

“Without you? That’s harsh, bro.”

“Nah, man. I don’t need shit like that. I like, vomit chemistry.” Mitch says, sounding way too confident for a guy talking about puking. “But like, in a cool way.”

“Oh, of course, bud.” Auston nods seriously, “Only cool chemistry barfing, for sure.”

Mitch laughs with his entire mouth, all his teeth on display and head thrown back as he lets out a sharp laugh. It’s just one of the things that Auston really shouldn’t find cute about Mitch but still sort of does. “Don’t front, dude. You wish I was on your line.”

And that’s, maybe a bit too close to home, bringing back memories from the post-season and Auston screaming at Babs for not playing them together – Johnny coming in and taking one look at Mitchy’s skills on the ice before deciding that’s who he wanted on his line, ending whatever traction Auston’s tantrum might have gotten.

So Auston just nods, smiling sadly as Mitch too quiets down.

Zee whines, quietly but still enough to pull their attention back on the dog. “Hey uh. How are you getting the dog back to Dylan? It’s like, curfew five minutes ago.”

“Mitchy grins softly, “Look at you trying to turn that A into a C. I’ll get the dog back, don’t worry, Cap.”

“Yeah? That’s good, Mitchy.” Auston smiles back, leaning down to squeeze his ankle before moving to the door. “Send Brownie my way when he’s done. Sleep tight, bud.”

 

It’s the post-season and the Leafs don’t make it further than last time they were here.

It’s frustrating as hell and Auston doesn’t know what to do about it. He doesn’t want to go to World’s, even if they’ve been begging him to join them since their first-round exit – Werenski and Noah flooding his phone, asking when he’s flying out – but Auston doesn’t want to lose again; not when Team Sweden is more stacked than ever, and the Oilers still haven’t cracked the second round.

So Auston decides to hang out in Toronto, too heart-sick to return to a house that’s only going to feed into his sadness.

It doesn’t take him long to turn up at Freddie’s. Freddie who would have normally loved going to Worlds and representing his country no matter how shit their national team is; Freddie who’s still struggling with an injury that pulled him during game six of the playoffs and might have led to their early exit.

No one mentions that last one, but they all know it; all of them aware that Freddie has been carrying them for far longer than he should have had to.

Freddie doesn’t seem surprised to see him, if anything he looks resigned like he expected Auston might pop around sometime in the future. “Auston man, why don’t you come in.” He says on an exhale, not really a question and loud enough for it to echo through the house.

“Thanks Fred,” Auston smiles, hanging up his jacket next to the others before walking through the living room and out to the yard, “Do you have anyone else over?” He asks, listening to the barking coming from the small lake Freddie had gotten dug up when the snow had started to melt away.

Freddie just hums, coming out with a couple of beers in his hand, “There should be someone coming around,” he says mysteriously as he sits down in the shade, returning to his book like Auston isn’t standing right there.

And then the barking intensifies, echoed by three different barks until Mouse is coming running towards him, tongue out and stumbling on his lanky legs.

“Heya Mouse, it’s been a while.” Auston chuckles and crouches down to meet the dog halfway. But Mouse doesn’t stop to let off speed and instead launching himself into Auston’s lap with an excited bark. It’s not easy catching him but Auston manages, cradling the dog awkwardly as he wiggles around to get settled. “Did you bring – Oh.” Because another two dogs trickle in, one of them looking very familiar, “Zee, is that you?”

The dog in question only wags its tail once but is interrupted by Mouse barking eagerly, pulling his attention back to the dog in his arms. He backs up until he’s sitting in one of the lawn chair Freddie had put out for sunny days like this, letting Mouse down as he reaches for one of the bigger dogs.

“No, uh. It’s actually Mouse’s brothers, from a different litter.” John chimes in as he comes around the corner wearing Leafs merch a couple of sizes too big. There’s another dog of Mouse’s size in his arms. They’re not quite as big as the other two, but Mouse is definitely bigger than he was in the beginning of the season, paws too big and a larger frame that doesn’t quite match his body-mass.

The dog in Johnny’s arms is soaked to the bone, shaking slightly but looking nothing but happy as he notices his brother, “I thought he might appreciate the company now that the weather is nice.” John adds, putting down the dog that runs over to sniff at Mouse who excitedly returns the attention.

“Oh, for sure.” Auston nods, leaning down to pet the dog that isn’t not-Zee, running his fingers through fur that’s slightly red-tinted, so different from his grey brothers. “You’re not going to World’s, then?” He asks absently, turning his head to watch him push down not-Zee from a chair before sitting down and letting him back up. 

John snorts, pulling at the dog until he’s covering his chest completely, until he looks like he’s drowning in sun-warmed fur. “I was kindly asked not to.”

“What? That sounds, weird?” Auston frowns. The red dog tugs at his wrist, so Auston lets go and watches as he crosses the grass until he’s jumping onto Freddie’s chair, lying parallel with the man despite the chair already struggling to fit Freddie’s width.

John shrugs, “Apparently I’m injury-prone, haven’t you heard? And the Leafs don’t wanna lose out on their investment just yet, I guess.”

“That’s shit, buddy. I’m sure the next season will be better.”

Johnny clenches his teeth, looking away from Auston as he mutters, “It better fucking be.”

It hurts but Auston also doesn’t know what to say; how to ensure him that he made the right decision in signing with the Leafs, because he sure as hell doesn’t know what they need to change to make it better. So Auston ignores it, stays quiet and just watches the dogs jump at each other.

 

“Look who I foun- oh, hey there Auston.” Naz says as he comes walking through the door with Mac and Dylan Strome behind him, two dogs of very differing sizes running through their legs.

“Hey man, Curtis.” Auston says with a nod as he turns to the odd man out, “What are you doing here, Strome?” It’s not hostile like it might have been back in the day when the news about him and Mitchy was still fresh, but it’s still definitely closer to neutral than friendly.

But Strome doesn’t look like he’s listening, already crouched down to pick up Mouse who’s barking and wagging his tail in a pattern Auston can’t figure out, “Hey buddy. Yeah, long time no see, eh? Not that you’re much bigger than last time I saw you. Still the runt of the litter, huh?”

The soaked pup is also trying his luck with Strome but he doesn’t seem to be responding, too caught up in covering Mouse’s face with kisses.

“I see that you remember _Mouse_ , eh Dylan? He’s such a good _dog_ , isn’t he?” Naz says pointedly, picking up the pup at his feet, the smaller of the two that came in with them. This one is even smaller than Mouse was at the start of the season, not quite as skinny and with tawny fur instead of the usual greys.

“Mouse? That’s a ridic- I mean, yeah. For sure, Mouse and I go way back.” Strome nods seriously before sitting down on the grass and letting Mouse jump on him. Naz dumps the smallest dog between Strome’s legs and if Auston didn’t know better, he would say it huffed annoyed before lying down, biting Strome’s laces in spite. “Oh, knock that off,” He says absently, wiggling his foot as if it doesn’t make it more appealing for the dog to chase it.

The most interesting though, is the largest of the dogs – almost as tall as Naz’s legs and half as wide, looking more like a wolf than anything else – that takes one look around the yard and whines, loud and miserable. It drops to the grass and crawls on its belly until it’s just cowering in front of John who looks just as stricken. “Oh baby.” John coos sadly just as not-Zee jumps down from the chair and goes to Auston’s instead.

The dog doesn’t hesitate, jumping quickly onto Johnny and shuffling up until its head is buried in his neck. “I got you, Ryan. Don’t worry.” The dog whines quietly but otherwise stays still when he starts to stroke down its back.

“So –“ Auston says when the silence becomes too much and the only sounds he can hear are Strome still cooing over Mouse, “Are those your dogs?”

Strome looks up briefly, turning around to take in the entirety of the yard, eyes flying from the large dog on John to the smallest one still going at his shoe, “Yeah, those two are. Well, in the family at least, almost feels like I grew up with them, you know?”

“That’s – alright,” Auston says sceptically, eyes narrowing in on the smallest dog of the bunch that doesn’t look much older than a couple of months. “So is Zee just like permanently in Arizona? Or did you not want to bring him?”

Mouse whines softly and scratches at Strome’s hands until the lets him go with a sigh, “Zee? That sounds like a stupid name. Nah, these guys are named after my brothers, makes it easier you know.”

Four dogs bark at once, but Strome decides to ignore them, leaning back until he’s flushed in the grass, “Like dogs are so stupid, who would even want to be one? A dog’s life, you know.” He says with a shrug, pushing the smallest dog away with his foot.

Mouse comes padding over, jumping onto Auston’s chair and cuddling up to not-Zee who huffs but moves away to make room for both of them.

It’s not enough to stop Auston’s head from spinning.

Because Auston is sure Zee and not-Zee are the same dog, if not at least from the same litter. And even then, the picture Brownie had shown him of Strome and his dog had looked nothing like either of the two present today, one too tawny and the other one too big to be anywhere close to Mouse’s size.

It leaves him with a weird feeling in his stomach, excusing himself to go wash his face to get a bit of distance between him and the never-ending stream of dogs.

 

Auston goes home sometime around June when the rest of the team have filtered out and gone off to whatever island they’re spending the next two weeks on; charities in the states with friends from juniors, sponsorship deals and promotional videos that the Leafs want to get out of the way before the pre-season comes around.

He’s still thinking about the strangeness of his teammates’ behaviour when they start back up. The fact that it’s always the same eight guys going out and disappearing into locked hotel rooms when they’re on a roadie – one of them feeling dizzy before the other seven starts to leave for the hotel. Their reluctancy when Auston ask if he can join them on late nights when Brownie’s been gone all day and doesn’t look like he’s coming back to their room.

He doesn’t mean to, but it somehow comes up during one of their NTDP meet-ups and apparently, he isn’t the only one who’s noticed the strange wolf-like dogs that keep showing up without any obvious connection other than their uncanny likeness to each other. Pictures of players with a dog that looks mistakenly like Mouse or Zee, and people complaining that coyotes showing up around arenas and hotel rooms when they’re on roadies that go on too long.

“There’s nothing wrong with coyotes,” Keller had huffed as he drank the remains of the stale beer nobody had bothered touching over the last couple of hours. Chucky had snorted, but otherwise hadn’t looked up from his phone since Brady had found a way to push himself onto the bed with Mittelstadt.

“There is when they’re camped out in front of your hotel the night before your away game, every fucking month,” someone had replied sourly from the pile of guys still lying on the couch.

Auston had been past drunk at the time, head resting on Zach’s leg as he tried to not-so-subtly convince Dylan to give him a blowie in Jack’s bathroom, but something had stuck with him then. Just the tiniest bit of information that somehow made everything make that much more sense.

He knows it stupid, that it’s improbably and frankly childish trying to connect his teammates’ strangeness to something from childhood horror stories. But it _fits_ and Auston can’t stop thinking about it.

 

It’s not until they’re waiting for their plane to New York and it gets delayed that things finally start coming to a head.

They’ve been sitting in the airport for hours now. The weather is acting up and someone is constantly on the phone trying to find out if there is a quicker way for them to travel. But their things are already packed and tucked away somewhere in the airport and travelling with a team of 20+ oversized hockey players and their half as heavy luggage has never been easy even when it goes as planned.

Auston doesn’t notice when – after the first couple of hours, time starts to mellow out – but at some point Mitchy starts to freak out. At first it just pacing, walking in front of the seats repeatedly until someone starts to throw stuff at him. But then it ebbs and he’s back to cracking jokes with Zach and Brownie who are sitting unusually close together, each of them with at least a hand on Mitch and somehow still touching the rest of the group in a way that’s too casual for the antsy look on John’s face.

He doesn’t notice right away when it starts back up, but he does hear Mitch singing horribly in the background – cheesy ABBA songs that he’s been hooked on since Willy made them watch the second movie. It doesn’t really bother him, but maybe he’s just too used to Mitchy’s bad singing from their car-pulling days because someone is loudly whining for him to stop.

The worst though, comes just as the moon starts to filter through the floor to ceiling windows looking over the runways.

Mitch starts to whine just as the light hits, loud and painful as he breaks out of the circle to re-start his pacing. Johnny reaches for him when he comes back around, pulling at him until Mitch stumbles into his lap and holding him there as he whispers what looks to be stern words into his ears.

He can’t really see anything with Naz and Babs obscuring his view as they discuss something just in front of them, effectively shielding their 9-person group from the rest of the team.

It’s obvious when it finally comes to him; the other times the group has been acting up, strong reactions to a loss that wasn’t even their fault, or all of them showing up together the day after a win, cheeks flushed and looking more relaxed than Auston’s ever seen them. But he turns to Mo anyway, trying to sound casual as he asks, “Is it a full moon tonight?”

Mo snorts and elbows Jake who had been sleeping soundly up until now, “Oh, you finally noticed?” he says drily, just as Mitch’s whines turns into high pitched barks that quickly quiets down to soft whimpers leaving John with a lap full of Mitch’s suit and fur.

Auston is almost halfway out of his seat when Mo stretches out an arm to stop him. “You’re not needed right now, Matty. Let them take care of Mitchy, yeah? They know what to do.”

Auston watches in silence as the group moves to the floor, leaning against their seats with their feet connecting to make Mitch a circle he can run in. The other smaller dog from Freddie’s yard joins Mitch, jumping on him until they’re just gnawing on different parts of each other, happily barking when someone calls their name, which.

“Is that-“

“Yeah, you can usually tell by the size. Mitch is the smallest, but he’ll get bigger soon, I think.” Jake says softly from the other side of Mo, nodding to Mitch in the middle of the circle, “Dermott is a little wider, but not by much.”

Auston gapes, looking from the group to the rest of the team who are still just chilling despite two of their teammates currently being fucking wolves, “So like, people just know these things? That half the team are like, _werewolves_?”

“Oh, we’re talking about Mitchy?” Willy chimes in from across them, Kappy huffing next to him. Auston doesn’t blame him as he tries to keep his attention on the magazine he’s reading, but Willy keeps tugging at his arm until he looks up, “He’s cute, eh? Too bad he can’t play hockey as a wolf.”

“Well, he can’t talk when he’s like this either, so we might consider convincing him.” Kappy says in an exhale before hitting Willy back and leaving them for the other end of the room.

“But like, _how_ do people know?” Auston asks, ignoring Willy completely in favour of watching Mitchy try to escape the circle of legs, whining softly when he finds no exit.

Mo shrugs and follows Auston’s gaze with a sad look, “I think you just kinda know when you’re Canadian. There’s weird people from Ontario and people that are weird who’s from Ontario, and somewhere between those two are the werewolves.”

Willy makes a noise at that, “I heard about it in minors, like Brownie and Zach would have these really long camping trips that always kinda lined up with the full moon,” he shrugs but he’s speaking a bit too fast to hide his excitement, “It didn’t make it better that they also tried the ‘this is my friend’s dog, but only sometimes’ bit.”

Auston quiets after that.

He’s still hungry for information, has too many questions that he needs an answer to. But it’s not Mo and Willy’s place to tell him, not when there are eight other people who have to agree to tell him before he’ll accept anything else.

And like, Auston kind of wants Mitch to be the one to tell him.

 

Auston is woken up when one of the pilots comes around to tell them they’re finally ready to board the plane, that the storm has quieted down enough for them to take off and shouldn’t cause any further delay.

He’s not really walking by anything other than instinct, one hand firmly grapping Willy’s shirt in front of him as they move like pearls on a string onto the plane. So he doesn’t really notice when the back seats start to fill with wolves instead of people, the only ones still human being John and Freddie who looks quite calm despite everything.

John comes up to him when the plane has ascended, walking quietly not to wake anyone up as he sits down beside him with a tired smile on his lips, “Hey man, I know it’s a shitty thing to do, but he won’t stop whining, and I don’t know what to do. The rest of the pack is sleeping, but they keep waking up because he’s in distress, and I would really like to have at least some of them ready to play tomorrow. So would you mind looking after him for a bit?”

It’s not until now that he notices the bundle of fur and lanky legs in John’s arms, Mitch looking soft and sad as he wiggles against Johnny’s chest. Auston doesn’t even think about it before he’s reaching out and accepting the wolf into his lap, covering him with the shirt he had been carried in.

“Thanks bud, I owe you one.” John says relieved as he starts to walk back to the end of the plane, “If he doesn’t settle down anytime soon, you can give him to Babs. Maybe he’ll work some magic for us, eh?”

Auston doesn’t reply, already turned back to Mitch who has gone very quiet as he curls up against Auston’s chest. He’s bigger than he was during the summer, closer to Zach and Brownie’s size but not quite there yet – like a Labrador but more muscular.

“You could have told me, Mitchy.” Auston whispers softly, lifting his muzzle to place a kiss on his head as pale eyes stare back at him. Mitch lets out a snuffling sound, not quite whining but something close to it as Auston continues, “I kinda already knew, you know.”

He pushes the arm-rest up, so he can lean back against the window and have Mitch lay down properly. But Mitch stays where he is pressed against Auston’s chest, muzzle resting on one of his shoulders. He lets out a low growl but it’s more playful than annoyed. Auston laughs, “I had my suspicions, is that better?”

Mitch smacks his lips in agreement, and what had once been pup-teeth not sharp enough to break skin are now elongated and pointy, canines and incisors that would look nothing but threatening if it wasn’t Mitchy’s mouth they were placed in.

“You’re not a pup anymore, are you bud?” Auston coos softly, running his hands through Mitch’s fur until both of them settle down. Auston closes his eyes slowly, watching tiredly as Mitch does the same, finally giving in to exhaustion and shuffling down until he’s resting more on Auston’s legs than his upper-body.

 

Someone comes by just before they land, waking everyone up so they have time to put their suits back on before they have to walk across the runway in the dead of the night.

Auston hadn’t thought about taking off his suit before falling asleep but looking at it now filled with Mitchy’s fur in all three colours, he probably should have. Mitchy though, is still a wolf.

A quick look over his shoulder tells him that the rest of the pack have managed to turn back into humans, all of them looking vaguely awake and in varying states of undress. John comes forward and sits down across the aisle from Auston, so he can slowly start to pet Mitch awake.

Mitch doesn’t move, but he does let out a whine as he’s forced to open his eyes. “Hey there Mitch, I was wondering if you wanted to turn back for us,” John says quietly and laughs as Mitch turns onto his back lazily, so he can pet his tummy instead. “I know it’s hard, but it would be so much easier for everyone.”

Mitch whines again, before leaning forward so he can start to chew softly on one of Johnny’s fingers, “I know it’s shitty, Mitch. But I’m not sure the hotel we’ll let us check in a dog for the night.”

As the plane starts to empty the wolves from the back come by, petting Mitch as they go and nodding vaguely neutrally to Auston as they stay together in one big clump of oversized hockey players. Freddie is the last one to come by and even he is letting himself be dragged by Brownie’s hand in his lapel.

Mitch whines again as he jumps down to the floor of the plane and tries to slink past to follow the rest of his pack, but Johnny has a firm hand in his scruff holding him back with a harsh tug.

“Hey uh, are you sure you can do that? Like, doesn’t it hurt?” Auston says wincing when Mitch lets out a painful yelp, cowering down on his stomach by John’s feet.

“Hmm?” He says distractedly as Mitch tries to lick at this wrist, “Oh, that’s not why he’s whining. He just being a brat, but we kinda need you to turn back, Mitchy.”

Auston’s not entirely convinced, but Mitch doesn’t look hurt and he’s not shying away from Johnny. Babs comes back after a few minutes of John trying to argue with a mute Mitch and for a split second, Auston wonders if Babs might also be a wolf – seemingly fitting so nicely into the Ontario pattern Mo had brought up earlier.

He’s not sure how, but they somehow settle on Mitch being allowed to stay a wolf on the way back to the hotel and then changing back in the bus before going in. It’s not optimal and neither party looks very happy with the settlement, but they have a game later and none of them are getting enough sleep to actually put up a fight against the Rangers.

 

Mitch is scratched for tonight’s game.

It’s not really a surprise when Auston sees him after the change, shaking and coughing up what vaguely looks like blood into a tissue that John quickly removes before anyone other than the three of them can notice.

It’s nothing to worry about, he’s told by Zach during warmups, just the consequences of a forced shift and then not getting enough time to recover. “He’s still young. A couple of years does a lot in terms of development, and with Mitch coming from such strong pack bonds, it’s not a surprise he’s acting like this without getting to run.”

Auston doesn’t understand half of what he’s being told, but he appreciates the assurances and watches with sad eyes as a trembling Mitch comes down during the first intermission.

He doesn’t look much better, wearing a suit that now seems ill-fitting as it hangs from his shaking frame as he shuffles his way into Johnny’s lap who lets him stay despite being in full pads and soaked in sweat from a long shift on the ice.

“So is the touching a Mitchy thing or a wolf ting?” Auston asks quietly. The other wolves have started to gather around Mitchy as well, standing in a semi-circle until all he can see are the backs of Naz and Mac.

Willy snorts as he drains another bottle of Gatorade, “That’s definitely Mitchy, but like. Wolves are more tactile, for sure. Johnny though is the de-facto alpha? So that’s why he’s the one they’re always seeking out.” Willy informs him seriously.

“Alpha? Like, in what way?”

“You know, alpha-male, the one in charge?” Willy says with a shrug, “I think maybe they fight for it? And then the one who wins can tell the others what to do. I don’t know a lot about it, I don’t think they had one on the Marlies. But it sounds reasonable, eh?”

Auston frowns and stays quiet because it really doesn’t. Even John who used to be the captain of the Isles doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to get into a fight just for the right to tell someone what to do. And like, good luck with getting Mitchy to do something that he doesn’t want to do when it doesn’t involve hockey or like, is coming directly from Bonnie’s mouth.

The intermission is over quicker than usual, and Mitchy only have a couple of minutes when he finally comes by Auston. “I just wanted to say thank you for last night, bro.” Mitch says softly. His voice sounds like shit and not in the fun ‘I spent last night singing too loudly so now my voice is gone’ way, and he’s still swaying on his feet as he leans against Naz who seems less than eager to let him go.

“Anytime, bud.” Auston smiles and pulls him in with a sweaty hand for a quick headbutt, “You should probably go though, you don’t look too good.”

Mitchy laughs but it’s hoarse as Naz leads him to the door, “Come by my room later, yeah? I’ll let you in on some of this shit.”

 

They end up losing in overtime, but it’s okay, the game was a fluke and they’re still leaving the state with one point. They fly to Pittsburgh on a plane that isn’t fucked by the weather and somehow make it to the hotel with no fuss. 

Auston only has time to put down his bag on one of the beds before Zach comes through the door and throws his key-card at him. “Mitchy and I are in room 4232, Brownie’s with Freddie, and I’m staying with Dermott if you need any of us.”

They don’t hang around after that. Zach’s already dragging his bag down to one of the rooms a bit further down as Auston makes his way to the elevator. He uses the key-card to get into the room and almost turns around and leaves when he finds Mitch passed out on one of the beds.

He looks smaller than usual, wearing what looks to be a frayed Isles tee-shirt with the number 18 on his chest and a pair of loose-fitted joggers. But at least he’s not shaking or bleeding anymore, Auston thinks as he lets out a soft snort in his sleep.

Auston doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do; if Mitch was still awake when Zach left the room or if he was brought here to watch over him while he sleeps. So he sits down on the small sliver of space still left on the bed and reaches for Mitchy’s iPad that’s still plugged in, finding something to watch in the background while he tries to make sense of his thoughts.

Mitch wakes him up later, shaking his shoulder softly before leaving to accept what sounds like room service. “What time is it?” Auston slurs, fighting his way onto his elbows before sitting up against the bed frame.

“Way past dinner time, but what can you do?” Mitchy grins as he starts to divide the plates between them, “I haven’t had a real meal in like, forever probably.”

Auston snorts, “I’m sure Johnny slipped you some Frolic or whatever Canadian dogs eat.”

“ _Wolves_ , Matts, I’m not a fucking house pet. I’m like, vicious and shit, I could probably bite your arm off.” Mitch tells him seriously, but his mouth is full of half-chewed meat and his hair is still messed up from sleeping making him look softer than ever.

“So like, are we gonna talk about that? You and apparently half of the team being werewolves?” Auston asks. It’s supposed to be casual, like he’s not going to care if Mitch tells him no, but even to his ears it falls kind of flat. He reaches for his bottle of water instead, fiddles with the lid until Mitch clears his throat.

“I mean, if you want to? It’s not really a secret and there are people who know but don’t really care? Like Kappy and Willy have known for ages, but they don’t really want to understand it. They just think we look cute – well, Willy does. I’m not sure about Kappy.”

Which, point.

“I thought you might already know? Because of like Chucky? You always talked about how good friends you are and like, that you shared a lot of things. So when you came to the team back in 2016 and I mentioned going for a run during a full moon, and you just blinked, I kinda figured you were like Kappy. But, you just didn’t know, eh?”

“No, I – I didn’t know, Mitchy.” Auston tells him quietly. He watches as Mitch nods quickly, his face tight as he pushes away the rest of the food until it’s just he two of them sitting on the bed, separated by nothing but the pillows from the other bed. “But like, if you want to, I would like to hear about it.”

“Yeah?” Mitch says hopefully as a small smile spreads on his lips. And Auston nods, because how could he not?

So Mitch tells him about his family, how every child born into it have been wolves, and that the Marners go a long way back when it comes to wolf territory, “When the Scandinavians came over in 1000 and settled down out east, they brought some of their shifters with them. Because of the cold climate, they started to turn into wolves instead. And if you want to believe my grandma, those wolves later became the Marner pack where all other Canadian wolves come from.”

“So, you’re, what. All related to each other? Didn’t you and Strome use to sleep together?”

Mitch splutters offended, reaching out to push Auston off the bed. “Fuck off, it’s been a thousand of years which is like 30 generations, there’s no way that still counts as incest.”

“I mean, isn’t it?” Auston asks with a frown, watching with a straight face as Mitch starts to huff and puff until he’s red in the face. “Jesus, Mitchy, sensitive much?”

Mitch clenches his teeth and lunges for him, until they’re both rolling off the bed and onto the floor, Mitchy sprawled underneath him as they laugh. “You’re a dick, Aus. I don’t even know why I keep you around.”

“Well, for the ear scratches obviously.”

“True.” Mitch concedes with a grin.

They move back to the bed and Mitch starts to talk about how turning feels like, the pull of the moon and the comfort of having a pack close to you – how the London pack had been very small, so his parents had decided to move there instead of letting Mitch stay with billets, so he would keep the strength for the pack bonds.

“Willy mentioned something about Johnny,” Auston says when they’re both exhausted and close to passing out, but they’re both fighting it, struggling to keep their eyes open. “He said he was your alpha, but how does that work if you’re still in your parents’ pack?”

Mitchy exhales loudly. He rolls on his side and shuffles down until he’s resting his head against Auston’s chest, looking up at him with a tired smile. “Willy doesn’t know shit, so please don’t listen to what he says. Johnny is our alpha in terms of the team, but like we aren’t ride or die – well, we kinda are, but – it’s more like a situational thing.

“Like when we’re with the team, Johnny is our alpha, but if we’re on a solstice run and Dubas came with us, he would be in charge. Then, if my mom came to join, I would probably listen to her more than anyone else, but like, Zach wouldn’t? So it’s dynamic, I guess, based on a lot of personal shit.”

“Wait, Dubas too?”

“Oh, yeah for sure.”

“I just, I can’t imagine Dubas telling other people what to do,” Auston says with a laugh, “I know that’s like, literally his job. But telling you guys how to act as wolves? So weird.”

“What? That’s, Matty, that’s not what an alpha does.” Mitch says with a frown, shuffling up until his cold nose is poking Auston’s cheek. Auston stays very still, knowing that if he turns just a little he and Mitch will be breathing in the same air. “There’s some authority that comes with it, sure. But like, it’s more about guidance? And support, knowing someone’s there for you if you need them to be.”

“Like Babs?” Auston slurs on an exhale, feeling his eyes fall shut, “Johnny’s your wolf coach, Mitchy.”

Mitch snorts, tired and short but still so filled with amusement, “Yeah, Matts. Just like a wolf coach.”

  
It’s not that finding out Mitch is a werewolf changes how Auston sees him, but it does make it clear that he does see Mitch differently than the rest of the team.

It quickly becomes clear that Auston not knowing Mitch is a wolf had been the one thing holding them back from whatever kind of overly co-dependency they’ve developed over the last few weeks. They don’t spend more time together than they did before – Auston’s not sure that they could’ve even if they tried – but it’s different now.

They still have game nights with the rest of the team, but now Mitchy isn’t even subtle about the way he’s sitting flushed against Auston’s side, feet tucked under his thighs and his loud, obnoxious laugh constantly in Auston’s ear.

He stays over when the rest of the team leaves, and when neither of them mentions sleeping on the couch, Mitch follows him into the bedroom and sleeps next to Auston. It, doesn’t seem weird, is the thing. It’s more like a natural progression, like they both knew it was going to happen eventually, and why stop the inevitable?

Mitchy starts to spend more time as a wolf around Auston. He’s still small enough to be mistaken for a dog, so Auston can go on runs with him by his side, a loose leash attached to a soft leather collar. A pair that somehow always finds its way into Auston’s luggage when they go to the West coast where the weather is warmer, and they can find a beach that allows dogs to play in the water.

The pack looks at them sometimes, wary eyes and quiet conversations between them – Johnny worst of all, who follows Auston with sharp eyes when Mitch crawls into his lap instead of lying on the floor with the rest of the wolves – but none of them say anything, and Auston’s fine with that.

They meet up with Chucky and Noah in Calgary. There are two other wolves when they arrive – Mitchy already on two legs as he jumps on Chucky in glee – and Auston spots Gaudreau in a chair next to Noah, so Monahan is probably one of them. The other wolf is larger, closer to John’s size than anything else, but it looks older too, less agile as Mitch moves away from Chucky to nip at Monahan’s heels making him chase him around the room.

It’s not until the pair of them stumble onto the other wolf making him huff and lash out towards Monahan that Gaudreau yells, “Nealer, that’s enough.”

“Shit, that’s James Neal?” Auston blurts out, watching both Mitchy and Monahan shy away from the older wolf that looks anything but happy to be here. He keeps his voice low, but Neal’s ear still flicks in acknowledgement as he lays down on a sole pillow on the floor.

Chucky clicks his tongue, shrugging a bit as he bumps Auston’s shoulder, “It’s a small pack up here, a few families scattered around, but not a lot of players in Calgary. Sean used to be the only one, and then Neal came and they just, didn’t click.

“I probably know less than you do, but they need a pack, other wolves to be around and run with. But Nealer was just, apathetic? I think the word is. Sean thinks it’s because of the packs he had before, like apparently Pittsburgh was really close, and then Nashville used to be one of the biggest packs in the league. So coming here and Sean being the only wolf on the team might have changed some things for him.”

Auston nods, but he doesn’t really care about James Neal’s sad origin story, especially not when he’s still scowling at Mitch who’s doing nothing but gnawing eagerly at Monahan’s ear.

Instead he turns around with a smile and asks Noah about the latest on the Dylan and Zach situation.

 

The Leafs have their last game before Christmas against the Knights, and Auston still hasn’t figured if he wants to go directly to his parents’ house or bother with the trip back to Toronto before flying out a couple of days later.

He knows the pack have some sort of run planned – “It’s the Winter solstice, Matty. It’s not just a run.” Mitchy corrects in a haughty tone, but he keeps their legs intertwined, so Auston’s probably in the clear – but he’s not sure if it’s a strictly wolf ting or if there’s a reason they’re including him in the planning.

It’s not until they’re taking off towards Vegas and Auston’s looking up tickets to Arizona that Mitch slides into the seat next to him. “What did you do to Freddie?” Auston asks absently, reaching out with his free hand to bump his knee as a greeting.

“Hmm? No, Brownie’s just being needy.” He nods to the seats a couple of rows in front of them where Connor is trying to cram two full sized hockey players into one seat, Freddie looking resigned but not unhappy with the development. “Nah, I just wanted to ask whether you wanna go to the run together, or if you wanted to meet there, in case I need to find another ride.”

“Oh, you’re not driving?”

Mitch shakes his head, “Nah, usually I spend the rest of the night as a wolf, so I was kinda hoping you could drive, and like, that I could stay with you after?”

Auston is already halfway through nodding his agreement when Mitchy’s words catch up to him, “I didn’t know I was invited.” Auston says with a small smile as he finally looks up from his iPad to watch how Mitchy snorts.

“What? Matty, come on. What are runs for?” Mitch asks jokingly, full mouth of teeth already on display as Auston stumbles through the answer, “Wolve-“ “The _pack_ , that’s right, Auston.”

“Oh, for sure, bud.” Auston chuckles and bumps the fist he’s holding out.

Mitch’s smile turns soft, just a beat of soft edges and kind eyes as he wraps his hand around Auston’s and giving it a squeeze before letting them fall back onto the arm rest. “Right, I’ll uh. Johnny will text you the address when we find out where it’s gonna be, and then like, just pick me up around six? That should be enough time to get there.”

“Alright, Mitch.” Auston says again, nodding once as they both wait.

Mitchy doesn’t usually sit next to Auston, even after Marty was traded back to the Island, Mitchy always had places to be and people to see, no matter how short the plane ride was. It had changed a bit since the wolf thing, Mitch cuddling up on his lap after hard games or just the two of them sharing an iPad without talking about the loss they’re leaving behind, but never when they’re flying out.

It’s a stupid distinction to make, but it seems important for some reason. Maybe because it makes it a bigger deal when Mitchy doesn’t get up and instead settles down next to Auston, a small smile on his lips as he slips his headphones over his ears instead of hanging around his neck.

Auston doesn’t let himself hope, but in moments like these, he can’t help but think Mitch might feel the same.

 

The Winter solstice is weird.

Auston picks up Mitchy from his place, already a wolf but behaving nicely as they make their way down to Mitchy’s car. “There’s no way in hell we’re taking my car when you’re in shedding season, Mitch.” Mitch doesn’t disagree, but he does whine as Auston clicks the leash onto the collar and lets him into the backseat.

It’s clear that this is something Mitch has been looking forward to with the way he’s acting, ecstatic and loud and barking whenever one of his favourite songs come on the radio before he’s back to running back forth across the wide seats making Auston laugh with him.

It’s a bit of a struggle to get the collar back off him, Mitchy dancing around him and trying to sneak past him like he’s rushing him. But the leash is still attached to the seats and Auston’s hands can only work as quick as they now can.

Mitchy shoots past him the minute he steps back, just a bolt of spotted fur running across the field before he’s tackling Zach into the grass, howling happily about his take down.

Auston makes his way to the picnic table with the blanket and the bottles of wine Mitchy had agree to bring and sit down in front of Freddie. He says hello to Babs who introduces Mac’s wife before turning his attention back to the wolves.

Mitchy seems to be making the rounds, tugging at an ear here, licking a muzzle there before he’s off chasing the pups around with Naz nipping at his heels.

“Who are the pups?” Auston asks, trying to connect the amounts of wolves with the ones he knew would be here and coming up short. “I thought Mitch was the youngest on the team.”

Babs chuckles as he turns his back to the table to watch the wolves with a soft smile, “Well the smallest one is the newest member of the Dubas’ family, the one after that the oldest Dubas, and then the other three are mine I suppose.”

Auston squints a bit, trying to catch a better look of the pups just as something bumps into his legs. “Wha – Mitchy, what are you doing here?” he frowns but lets down a hand, letting Mitch sniff it before he drags his tongue over it and dancing away when Auston tries to grab onto the scruff of his neck.

It continues like that throughout the night, Mitchy coming back to the table as if he checking in on Auston, nudging him until he lets down a hand or scoots back until there’s enough room on the bench for Mitch to sit there and get handfed pieces of meat Naz’s wife had brought them.

Johnny leaves at one point – “He had to go to the Strome/McLeod run,” Mitch tells him later, shrugging when Auston asks why they didn’t just combine the two, “It’s a personal thing, Matts. Solstice runs are just for the pack.” – and Mitch starts coming back more often, staying longer by Auston’s side and even at one point refusing to leave when Brownie’s still sprawled across Freddie’s lap. 

“Mitch, you’ve been looking forward to this since forever. Go chase Zach’s tail, I don’t think you’re allowed to leave until all of the kids are tired out.” Auston laughs and pushes Mitch down from the bench.

But Mitch stays put, whining pathetically as Auston tries to turn back to table where someone brought out some chocolates that Babs very kindly hasn’t commented on yet. “Go away bud, we’re not here for you to be lazy like Brownie, and like, he’s way older than you anyway.”

Brownie lets out a bark but it’s symbolic at most as he gnaws on Freddie’s thumb, leaving imprints of his teeth that don’t look like they’re going away anytime soon.

Mitch does leave, but he comes back after only half an hour with one of the pups hanging from his teeth and the others following him on tired paws.

“Maybe we should call it quits,” Babs hums as he accepts one of the pups hanging from his wife’s teeth and tucks it into one of the blankets. “We do have practice in the morning.”

“It’s optional,” Auston and Freddie say in complete synch, smirking as Babs lets out a huff of a laugh but concedes to their point.

“Even more so then.”

Just as promised, Mitchy follows him home still a wolf.

It’s a bit awkward with the arrangement of cars, Auston’s car still at Mitchy’s, and Mitch’s now stuck at Auston’s place, but it’s too late to drive back and forth and Mitch still needs a bath before he’s allowed on the bed. Mitch is good about it too, sitting still as Auston sprays him down and rubs in the tear-free shampoo they had gotten from the pet store, and then letting Auston blow-dry him with a hairdryer one of his sisters had left behind.

Auston wakes up with Mitch staring back at him, a soft smile on his face as he rolls out of bed and comes back with coffee for both of them.

They don’t talk about why Mitch was acting weird, not when they only have a couple of hours before Auston has to start packing and somehow get to the airport.

So Auston keeps quiet and lets Mitch bully him into watching whatever rom-com Netflix had tried to butcher this time.

 

It’s New Year’s Eve and it takes Mitchy talking to another guy before Auston realises they never really talked about their sexualities.

Auston knows Mitchy used to date Dylan back in juniors, that Mitch has been with guys before, but the possibility of Mitch hooking up with guys while on the Leafs had never really occurred to him. 

Auston’s not – Auston’s never really had a proper boyfriend.

At least not in the way Mitch would probably describe it. He’s had friends who are boys who he slept with, both of them scared of others finding out and feeling secure in their mutual assured destruction if the other guy decided to snitch. But he’s never had someone who would stick around after and just chill, watching movies until they’re both on the brink of sleeping but struggling to stay awake. It’s always been separated for him, friends who stay the night and friends who he’s slept with.

His mom has always known he was gay, or at least she’s known since Auston told her at eleven that he wasn’t interested in girls like the other boys were. She still picked him up from parties holding hands with girls who made the other guys think he was like them, but there was always something sad in her eyes, even as she asked about the girl’s family, about her hobbies and, ‘oh, that’s a nice dress, sweetie, where did you get that?’

Switzerland was different in a lot of ways.

Auston is still seventeen, he still has a curfew and very strict rules about sex. But Swiss guys don’t know who Auston Matthews is, and they don’t care that he’s probably going first in the NHL entry draft come June and spend his years playing hockey for a deeply conservative league that probably isn’t going to change any time soon.

It’s not a boyfriend, but it’s more than shared handjobs in the broom closet at the rink, and Auston is so deeply thankful for it.

The guy doesn’t stick around, or maybe it’s Mitch who blows him off first – it doesn’t really matter when Mitch ends up at Auston’s side anyway. He’s loose-limbed and happy, swaying just slightly on his legs and cheeks red from lipstick Auston had watched Carrick’s wife kiss onto him.

“Good night, eh?” Auston hums. Neither of them is home and at some point, one of them has to call a car to take them home, but the party is still buzzing, and even the snow falling heavily outside can’t seem to ruin the mood.

“The best, Matty.” Mitch agrees with a smile, a hand on Auston’s hip as he rest his head against Auston’s collarbone. “Thank god we don’t a game tomorrow.”

Auston snorts as he leans back against the wall, so he can take more of Mitchy’s weight. “I’m sure Babs can make you regret drinking two days from now.”

Mitchy turns and suddenly they’re just staring at each other, broken only by how Mitch’s eyes flicker down to his lips before coming back up.

Auston forces out an exhale, because it’s not midnight anymore, they don’t have a free pass just because no one else wants to kiss them, and couldn’t Mitch have done this hours ago?

“We should uh, I can call a cab maybe?” He says quietly, breaking their weird staring contest when Mitch lets out a whimper.

“That’s, probably for the best, eh? Maybe drop me off first?”

It’s not quite what Auston wants, but Mitch’s is right. So he nods and lets Mitch go back inside as he fumbles through his pockets to find his phone.

 

They’re neck and neck with Tampa with one game left in the regular season.

They’re playing in Edmonton, and they’re all very aware that if they win this and takes home the two points, they’ll have to play the Flyers in round one instead of the Bruins. And the Flyers are not a bad team, but. They’re not the Bruins, and the Leafs really need that right now.

It’s a shoot-out win, but Auston doesn’t care – they’re not in the Pacific division, hell, they’re not even in the West, and one more point to the Oilers is not his fucking problem.

Mitch slips out in the middle of the celebrations, but Auston might be the only one who notices. The room is loud and sweaty, soaked in alcohol and Auston’s not quite sure why they haven’t been kicked out yet but they keep it going.

Auston’s only tipsy when Mitch comes back and pulls him out in the hallway. “Hey, Mitchy. We’re in the playoffs,” he giggles happily, leaning back against the wall as Mitch crowds him up against it.

“I talked to Connor, and he thinks I’m being an idiot.” Mitch says instead of replying, and it’s probably the best if he has to judge by the frown between Mitchy’s brows. “So like, if you wouldn’t mind, I would like to kiss you.”

“Oh, uh, right now?” Is apparently what Auston’s brain settles on.

“If, you know, you don’t mind?” Mitch says, he’s still standing firm as ever, but he sounds taken back as if Auston’s reply had rattled him.

“On the mouth?”

“Yeah, uh. I would prefer that, Matty.”

And Auston’s sure he’s the one leaning in first, but it doesn’t feel like he’s moving because suddenly it’s just Mitchy’s lips on his, and then they’re kissing.

It’s not a bad kiss, but Auston’s definitely had better. But this is Mitchy, Mitcy who’s been by his side over the last 3 and a half years, Mitchy who’s a werewolf but didn’t tell him because he thought Auston didn’t care, Mitchy who on most nights sleeps in Auston’s bed and makes them coffee in the morning.

Mitchy, who Auston has been in love with for as long as he can remember.

It’s nothing more than their lips just brushing against each other, Mitchy’s hand in his hair while the other squeezes Auston’s, and then he’s pulling back. Red-cheeked and smiling as he leans in to peck Auston’s lip once more before saying, “After round one, then we’ll talk, eh?”

 

They win over Philly in five, and then they’re through to the next round.

Auston doesn’t go straight to Mitchy’s house after the game, but it’s a close thing. He stops by his apartment to pack a small bag of stuff that he might need if he doesn’t make it back before practice in two days.

The door is open when he gets to Mitchy’s but there’s no light in the living room, so Auston locks behind him and continues into the bedroom, where Mitch is lying half asleep on top of the sheets, watching Auston with drowsy eyes.

“We won, Matty.” He says with a soft smile, reaching out a hand toward Auston who pads across the floor until he can lay down beside him, “We’re in round two.” And like, Auston knows what this means to Mitch who was born and bred with blue blood in his veins. Mitch who has been waiting for the Leafs to be good in what must have felt like forever, and now to be a part of the team that finally restores them to the greatness they used to be.

But right now, watching mitch intertwine their fingers and shuffle them around until Auston’s head is resting on his chest, Auston doesn’t really give a shit about the playoffs.

It’s not until the next morning that Auston gets to kiss Mitch again, sleep-drunk and exhausted as they make their way to the couch wearing nothing but sweats that don’t quite fit Auston, but he kind of likes how the 93 sits on his chest.

Auston doesn’t’ wait for the coffee to start working before he’s leaning in, Mitch surging up to meet him halfway. It’s soft and slow and just what they need on an early morning like this, Mitch’s hand twisted in the sleeve of Auston’s shirt, pulling at the already frayed fabric as Auston pulls him closer, until they’re just one line of heat against each other.

Auston pulls back only to nudge Mitch backwards until they’re both lying down, Auston framing Mitchy with his arms before they lean in again, Auston smiling against his lips as they both laugh.

“Wait. Auston, we uh, we have to wait.” Mitch whispers softly, warm puffs of breath against his lips as Mitch struggles to get them to sit up, “There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Yeah, what’s that, Mitchy?” Auston hums. He doesn’t pull his weight though, tries to get Mitch to stay down with his head tucked between Mitch’s shoulder and neck as he places kisses on the bare skin exposed by the wide collar of his shirt.

“Matty, please. Just for a moment, and then we can kiss again.” Mitch bargains, chuckling softly as Auston grunts. But he lets go and leans back until they’re both sitting up, looking at each other with barely contained grins. “So like, you know how I am a werewolf?”

“Yeah, buddy. I think that was pretty clear, I have the dog hair to prove it though.”

“Oh shut up, you beg me to sleep in your bed as soon as it drops below zero, don’t even front, Matty.” Mitch snorts, shaking his head in laughter. “But, wolves have like, mates? You know, only being with one person for the rest of their lives and shit?”

Auston nods because that sounds vaguely familiar from one of the nature documentaries he had seen after finding out about half the team being wolves. “But you were with like, fifty people in juniors, weren’t you, bud?”

Mitch rolls his eyes, but there’s definitely a red tint to his cheeks, “You know I dated Stromer for the last half a year, so take a couple of tens off that number, bro. But that’s so not the point.” Mitch takes a deep breath before continuing, “It’s not that common, but it happens, and usually it happens the first time you turn together; the wolves feeling the pull to each other and some of that is transferred to their human forms as well.”

“But?” Auston supplies when Mitch doesn’t continue, because Auston is like, seventy percent sure where this is going. But Mitchy’s hesitancy is also not great.  

“So like, usually the wolves know and they both feel the pull to the other person, but sometimes, if one of them is not a wolf, the other can get confused and start to act strange? Because they’re not sure the affection is returned, or some shit? I don’t really get it, but like, Davo has this shit down if you want more details, also Brownie should be good for it too, but maybe that’s different because of Fred? I –“

“Mitch, dude. You’re not making sense.” Auston laughs but is sounds hysterical even to him. “Are you saying that we are mates? Is that it?”

Mitch’s breath hitches but he nods, quick and repeatedly until Auston smiles. “That’s. Yeah, Matty. I think we are.”

Auston nods patiently, reaching out to give Mitch’s hand a squeeze. “Does that change anything for you? About us, about what we were going to do?”

 Mitch snorts and squeezes Auston’s hands until he can feel Mitch’s nails piercing his skin. “I’m not worried about me, Matty.”

“What? Mitchy, I –“

“No, I’m not questioning how you feel about me, but. This is it for me, Aus. I’m not going to want another person the way I want you ever again, and that’s on me. I know this is a lot of pressure to put on you, but I kinda feel like you have to know before we do anything. And like, if you’re not sure I would much rather we wait and see what might happen.”

Auston knows they’re not eighteen and stupid anymore, that Mitch is an adult who make responsible decisions instead of jumping head first into whatever his heart tells him to. But it’s still so world-tilting to hear Mitch talk like this, about Auston like this isn’t some rushed thing he’s doing just for the hell of it.

“I love you Matty, and right now it could probably go either way. So if you’re not sure about being with me, I would rather we just stay friends, so I would at least have you love me back in some kind of way.” Mitch says, this time more morose as he lets go of Auston’s hand and leans back, putting another foot of space between them.

Auston can’t help but following him, folding himself until he can fit in the small space between Mitch and the back of the couch. “I’m, Mitchy. I can’t promise you it’s always going to be like this, that’s – I don’t think I would ever be able to give you that. But I love you and I want to be with you, and if some day we no longer feel this way, then we’ll work it out.” Auston says seriously, cupping Mitch’s face in his hands to make Mitch look him in the eyes, “I’ll always be your friend, Mitchy. No matter what happens.”

Mitch’s smile turns soft, like a hedgehog finally unfurling and exposing its stomach. “Yeah?”

“Yeah dude, you’re my boy. You know that.” Auston chuckles, but he leans in to place a kiss on his lips anyway, “Forever and always, bud.”

“Yeah, Matts, forever and always.”

 

 

**Epilogue:**

The Summer solstice is a lot different than what Auston had attended in the December.

“It’s made that way,” Mitch tells him on the way over, still a human as he texts someone – probably Strome if the periodical snorts are anything to go by. “During the winter you celebrate the pack, but when summer comes around, it’s more about community, about wolves in general, not just the ones you see every day.”

Excepts, Auston doesn’t really quite get the last bit until he’s standing in a field much bigger than where they had been in December with more wolves than he’s ever seen before.

He turns to confront Mitch about it, but Mitch is already on four legs and taking off towards Strome, another guy and a smaller ginger wolf sitting on Draisaitl’s feet. Auston likes McDavid and Strome well enough, but he’s not sure he wants to participate in this particular reunion of the O.

He spots the cup somewhere out on the field being circled by a handful of wolves that seem to be very careful about not touching it, while one of them are just full on sitting in the bowl of it, tongue out and panting heavily. Auston can’t remember who brought it, but he kind of wants to know how they convinced the cup keeper to let them bring it to a field full of rowdy werewolves.

Auston tries to make the rounds and say hey to as many people as he can, but he’s struggling with telling the wolves apart, and a lot of them come without a human counterpart that could hint Auston in the right direction.

At some point when he’s been through all the humans he knows, Auston makes his way back to the beginning of the hill where they parked the car on.

He spots one of he guys on the Coyotes, someone he’s seen at one of Dylan’s stupid Ontario/Arizona parties that he tries to make a thing. Auston is sure he knows the name, but it must be escaping him right this moment.

The guy is a big guy, taller than Auston and definitely heavier, but right now he doesn’t look like much; red eyes puffy as he pops another pill just on the tail end of a sneeze, cursing loudly. “Are you alright there?” Auston asks amused, taking a seat just outside of the hazard zone where the guy’s tissues have been scattered.

The guy snorts, “Does it look like I’m okay?” Even his voice sounds fucked, nasal and rough like he’s been coughing for ages, “I’m fucking allergic, but someone has to drive this idiot home when he refuses to turn back.” He jerks his head to a smaller wolf that’s lying just a few feet away from them piled onto another, bigger wolf.

The wolf barks happily and looks like he wants to stand up to come closer, but the guy yelps, “Stay there, TK. You know I love you, but you’re killing me, babe.”

TK whines but stays put, going slack as he curls tighter around the other wolf, wagging his tail pathetically as he watches the guy with sad eyes.

Auston’s just the tiniest bit confused, “Why don’t you just make someone else drive him home? I’m sure someone can watch him until he turns back.”

The guy chuckles, breaking the eye contact he had with TK to watch Auston with a soft smile, “You haven’t been around for long, eh?” He reaches up and scratches at the two circular scars at his throat, eerily similar and perfectly placed so they wouldn’t have pierced through any major vessels.

And if this had been two weeks ago, Auston wouldn’t have known what those marks meant; wouldn’t have thought twice about the way Brownie always grips his wrist tightly when he’s feeling frustrated, covering two scars of his own that just a bit smaller than the matching ones at the base of Fred’s throat – the same ones that Johnny, Babs and Draisaitl also have.

Scars that Auston might someday have when Mitch finally convinces himself he’s not going to hurt him. But then again, Auston doesn’t need a mating bite to know that he’s Mitch’s, not when he has him in every way but this one.

But Auston gets the guy’s sentiment, looking across the crowds and easily finding Mitch looking back at him from Dylan’s lap, tongue lolling out of his mouth and tail wagging eagerly as he barks at Auston’s attention being back on him.

Auston smiles, “Nah, but I plan to.”

**Author's Note:**

> this is only covering parts of my need for hockey-playing werewolves, so please expect at least two other stories in the same 'verse.


End file.
